Edward S. Curtis

These indelible portraits of Native Americans by Edward S. Curtis, made at the dawn of the 20th Century, have become among the most avidly collected, published, and sought-after emblems of early encounters with American Indian life. Curtis is famous for photographing every major Native American tribe west of the Mississippi, taking more than 40,000 negatives of 80 tribes between 1896 and 1930. No record of these Native people from this period is more comprehensive. Now, after decades in obscurity, Curtis's work is enjoying a renaissance and is being celebrated in a series of exhibitions as well as in publication that have just begun to suggest the scope of this remarkable photographic achievement. This book, the first in a series that will take an in-depth look at many of the subjects most important to Curtis, collects 100 of his most compelling images of tribal leaders and warriors. They are drawn from the collection of Christopher Cardozo and feature iconic Curtis pictures as well as several little-known gems.

These indelible portraits of Native Americans by Edward S. Curtis, made at the dawn of the 20th century, have become among the most avidly collected, published, and sought-after emblems of early encounters with American-Indian life. There is no more comprehensive record from the period of the diverse Native peoples.

EDWARD S. CURTIS: CHIEFS AND BRAVES is drawn from the collection of Christopher Cardozo and features iconic Curtis pictures as well as several little-known gems. Many have never been published as large-format folio prints. Pulitzer Prize-winning author N. Scott Momaday, one of the most successful contemporary Native American literary figures, writes the Foreword.

About the Author:

Hartman Lomawaima, of the Hopi Nation, is currently director of the Arizona State Museum and co-director of the Hopi Documentary Project. He is also on the Board of Directors of the National Museum of the American Indian and the Advisory Board of the Sacred Sites Foundation.Anne Makepeace is a director, writer, and producer. Her most recent film, which was an Academy Award finalist, is Coming to Light: Edward S. Curtis and the North American Indian.Christopher Cardozo is acknowledged to be the world's leading authority on Edward S. Curtis and owns the world's broadest private Curtis Collection. He is the principal consultant and curator to the four major extant private Curtis collections and is a consultant to many public institutions, including The Morgan Library.